Winning 5 percent of the popular vote will not give the Libertarian candidate direct ballot access in all 50 states in the next election, as the ad insinuates. States control the election processes, and each of them have different rules regarding the requirements to have a third party candidate’s name on the ballot.

These state requirements will have to be met again in the next election, regardless of Gary Johnson’s results this year. However, as Johnson is already on the ballot in 48 states and a write-in on another (Oklahoma is the only state excluding him from the ballot), the financial rewards reaped from reaching 5 percent will most likely allow him to access the ballot in all fifty states in the next election cycle.

For many third party candidates, resources, in both time and money, prevent them from appearing on a majority of ballots. Third party candidate Ross Perot, one of the most well known third party candidates, was on the ballot in 50 states in 1992 and 1996 because he was a billionaire who had enough resources to meet all the requirements.

In terms of financing, 5 percent will radically change the Libertarian candidate’s hand in the next election. Indeed 5 percent is the milestone set by the Federal Election Commission to be eligible for the Presidential Election Campaign Fund’s grant. The amount of public funding available to the minor party candidate is based on the the ratio of the party’s popular vote in the preceding presidential election to the average popular vote of the two major party candidates in that election.

If the libertarian candidate in the 2008 election had received 5 percent of the vote, Gary Johnson would have received approximately $9.5 million from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. As of today, Governor Johnson has raised $2.3 million for his campaign, more than three times less than what he would have started with. If he had the additional grant money, he could have been on the ballot in every state, and would have been able to pursue a larger scale campaign.

By reaching 5 percent of the popular vote, Gary Johnson will secure approximately $10 million for the Libertarian candidate in the 2016 election. For a third party candidate, this is significant and justifies Gary Johnson’s recent quest to give him five.

About the Author

Lucas Eaves

French traveler on a journey to understand the arcane of American politics while enjoying life in San Diego.

To all of you people who say this election is to important to vote for anyone but a republican or a democrat, and you can vote third party next time. This is an asinine excuse, there will NEVER be a next time because every election will be "the most important election of our lifetimes." I'm voting for Gary Johnson this time, so that the general voting public will see that there is a real choice.

Vote for Romney if your rich or don't read. He has a lower job growth than any other as gov....except NJ Chris Christie. He's a liar, he's changed his views 46458855479 times in the passed 7 years to suit the crowd he's preaching to and will pollute the earth badly. Why do you think big oil Koch bros are dumping millions into his campaign? Wake up and read real books

I don't know about others who are brave enough to vote Johnson or any other 3rd party , but to me it does not matter if Obama of Romney wins.They are not the direction that needs to be taken to get this great nation on track. Call us spoilers. Tell us we lost the election for you. We don't care. We are Libertarians and will not apologize for it.

Remember that this race is an Electoral College race. If he pulled 10% in states like California and New York, which are solidly Obama, it would be a huge raw number of votes for Johnson without changing the result at all.

Gary Johnson's speeches and messages are powerful, makes you want to do something! The 5-percent is another reason why voting third-party is not a wasted vote. Third-party candidates can build upon success of past elections. Voters can't give up just because one election wasn't revolutionary or entirely successful.

That extra $10 million could go a long way for a third party candidate. I think his "5%" message will resonate with a lot of voters who buy into the "wasted vote" argument. This way, losing the election isn't a loss - it's a step towards 2016

Yes, you are correct that ballot access is determined by state. However, as I understand it, the presidential election is the basis for every state, with some allowing additional races (e.g., Senate) to count as well. I also believe that although the minimum percentage needed for major party status is different in each state, none of them is higher than 5%. So, properly stated, 5% in all 50 states would give access in all 50 states for 2016. But, that is a mouthful for a 30-second ad. LOL.